Unit 1

Your middle schooler is very much a part of our worshiping community. Biblical tradition and Reformed conviction teach us that children and youth are members of the covenant community. 

Worship is one of the basic ways people learn what it means to be a Christian. Your child learns to worship as he or she worships with our congregation Sunday after Sunday. Through worship, our hope is that our young people will 

• learn that they belong to Christ and are welcome in his church. 
• come to know, through repetition, certain patterns, prayers, and other frequently used responses that shape our community (depending on the worship style of our congregation). 
• build memories of shared experiences of Christian community. 
• be enriched by the beauty of music and art as creative expressions of human praise to God. 
• hear stories from the Bible read and interpreted, and begin to experience worship as one place where God may speak to them. 
• witness and participate in the drama of baptism and the Lord’s Supper—both visible signs of God’s grace. 
• discover that they are valued by God and by God’s people. 

Encouraging your son or daughter to attend worship regularly may not always be easy, but it is an essential part of their growth as Christians. As we begin a six-week focus on worship; consider starting (or continuing) a conversation with your child about the importance of worship in his or her faith formation. 

Week 1: Come, Now Is the Time to Worship Psalm 95:1-7; Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:42-47 (Through worship God calls us and forms us as his people.) 
Week 2: Confession of Sin and Assurance of Pardon Isaiah 6:1-6; Psalm 51; Psalm 32 (When we gather before the holy God we experience our own sinfulness, confess our sins, and receive God’s forgiveness.) 
Week 3: Hearing the Word and Responding Nehemiah 8:1-12 (When we gather together to worship we hear God speak to us through his Word and the pastor’s message.) 
Week 4: The Sacraments in Worship Joshua 3:1-4:8 (Through the sacraments, God shows us and assures us that we are his redeemed people.) 
Week 5: Blessed to be a Blessing Genesis 12:2-3; Numbers 6:24-26 (In worship we receive God’s blessing so that we might be a blessing to others.) 
Week 6: Life as Worship Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:17 (Corporate worship shapes us to worship God in all of our living.) 

Pass It On 
Here are some ideas for how you might engage your child in a faith discussion: 

• Share with your child why you feel it’s important for him or her to attend worship services. If you don’t worship together as a family (whatever your family unit might be), are there changes you could make so that you are able to experience worship together? (Session 1) 
• King David wrote Psalm 51 after he messed up pretty bad. Read it together, then tell your child about a time you messed up in your life (try to think of an example from middle school or high school—and make sure not to overshare!). Express how grateful you are that God is a forgiving God, and talk about the assurance you have that all your sins are forgiven—as are your child’s! (Session 2) 
• Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and consider together some specific ways you might live out verse 7. Ask your pastor, youth minister, or children’s leader for some ideas. (Session 3) 
• If you’re not sure what the policy of your church is for baptized children and youth receiving the sacrament of communion, check with your pastor or an elder. If your child isn’t yet participating in communion, consider talking with your child to see what his or her interest level is in partaking (or what questions he or she has about it). Perhaps it’s time to encourage your child to consider making profession of faith (if he or she hasn’t already). (Session 4) 
• Write your own blessing or use the Aaronic blessing (Num. 6:24-26) to extend God’s blessing to your child each day for the next week. Consider making it a part of your morning or evening ritual. (Session 5) 
• Copy Romans 12:1-2 on a large piece of paper and decorate it with your child. Tape it to the door you use most often when leaving your home as a reminder to your whole family to offer their lives as worship to God. (Session 6)

(Parts of this letter are adopted from the pamphlet "Worshiping with Children" Reformed Church Press, 475 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10115 USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)